Splitboard

It Solves A Real Problem

Snowboarders touring on snowshoes carry the board on their back, which is heavy, awkward and considerably slower than skinning.

A splitboard separates into two skis for the climb and reassembles into a board for the descent, which makes uphill travel comparable to ski touring.

For anybody riding backcountry regularly, that difference in efficiency is what makes longer days and bigger objectives possible at all.

Compromised In Both Modes

A splitboard is stiffer through the middle and heavier than a solid board of the same size, and the joint affects how it flexes and rides.

In ski mode it is short, wide and lacks proper ski geometry, which makes descending a traverse or a skin track on the flat genuinely awkward.

Neither compromise is disqualifying and both are noticeable, and a rider expecting a splitboard to ride like their solid board will be disappointed.

Transitions Take Practice

Switching between ski and board mode involves removing skins, reassembling the board, changing bindings and adjusting clips, all in wind and cold.

A practised rider does it in a few minutes and an unpractised one takes considerably longer, which on a cold ridge matters.

Practising transitions at home before the first tour is unglamorous and is the single thing that most improves a first backcountry day.

Hardware, Ice And Failure

Splitboards have considerably more hardware than solid boards, and clips, pins and interfaces ice up, loosen and occasionally fail.

Carrying a basic repair kit with spare hardware, a multitool and tape is standard practice for anybody touring on one.

A splitboard that cannot be reassembled in the field leaves a rider a long way from anywhere, which is why the repair kit is not optional.

The Terrain Is The Point And The Risk

Splitboards exist to access unpatrolled avalanche terrain, and nothing about the equipment reduces that risk in any way.

Formal avalanche training, transceiver, shovel and probe for every person, and practised companion rescue are prerequisites rather than additions.

Groups where one person has training and the others do not are a common and dangerous arrangement, since rescue depends on the people who are not buried.

Boots for splitboarding are ordinary snowboard boots, which is a genuine advantage over ski touring where specific boots are required. Stiffer boots suit the descent and make long climbs less comfortable, and boots with a walk mode exist for exactly that reason. Crampon compatibility becomes relevant for anybody moving onto firm steep ground, which changes the boot requirement considerably.

Weight savings on a splitboard come mostly from the bindings and interface rather than the board, and lightweight touring-specific bindings make a substantial difference across a long climb.

Solid boards converted with a cutting kit exist and are a false economy in most cases, since the edges and interface of a purpose-built splitboard are engineered for the join.

Poles are required for splitboarding and are not used on the descent, which makes collapsible ones that fit inside a pack the sensible choice.

The Verdict

The right tool for backcountry snowboarding, with real compromises and a hard prerequisite of avalanche competence.

It rides stiffer than a solid board, skis awkwardly, and hardware ices and fails.

Everyone in the group needs training and a transceiver. Rescue depends on the people who are not buried.